Below are our most popular must-see highlights at the museum.
Must-See
Main Building (Upper Level)
Main Building (Lower Level)
Annex
* Please note that the Annex is closed October through April and during inclement weather.
Prize Saddle
In 1914, Rufus Rolan won this saddle in the Bare Back Bucking Contest Championship of Montana Miles City Roundup. Nothing more is known about Rufus or how his prize saddle became the property of George Bain, the General Manager of the LU Sheep Company. The saddle was made by the…
Read Story16 Mule Team Johnson
Henry Johnson came to this area (about 1896) just as the new town of Thermopolis was being established. At this time, he started freighting for the local merchants including Martin and McGrath. When the streets of Thermopolis were being measured for the town, Johnson asked that Broadway, be made wide…
Read StorySundance and Ethel: Every Picture Tells a Story
© Article by Author and Historian Mark Msanaski. Original cabinet card photograph of Sundance and Ethel, taken on February 3, 1901, at Joseph B. DeYoung’s Photographic Gallery in New York, before they set sail for South America. Copies were sent to family and close friends as a fond farewell. The…
Read StoryAndersonville
The land where Thermopolis is currently located was once Indian Reservation. During that time, Thermopolis was located about six miles north of its current location. Across the Big Horn River from “Old Town” Thermopolis was a village known as Andersonville, named after three Anderson brothers who homesteaded the area. One…
Read StoryHole-in-the-Wall Bar
Belly up to the original bar where outlaws from the Hole-in-the-Wall gang once used to visit, including the infamous Butch Cassidy! Though spirits are no longer served to patrons, it is a great place to sit and imagine the sights, sounds and smells that once surrounded this icon from the…
Read Story1890 Square Grand Piano
Square pianos are an important part of musical history. They were used by the great pianists of the 18th and 19th centuries as well as the average citizen. In the late 1800s, Square Grands increased in length, from an average of 6′ during the 1830s to 1850s to about 7′…
Read StorySpinning Wheel
The spinning wheel was a symbol of the domestic home so it’s no wonder great effort was made to bring this particular one to Thermopolis! Our spinning wheel came from Sweden. It was taken apart and hidden in suitcases and smuggled into the United States about 1850. Spinning wheels are…
Read StoryRock Cycle
A naturally formed “pot” with lichen growth. This shows an important step in the rock cycle. The lichen, as it grows will slowly eat away (erode) the rock, eventually turning the “Pot” back into dirt. This pot was found on the Rankin Ranch, Grass Creek, WY by Louis Rankin.
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